It may appear that the unrest
caused amongst
the Manx population by the unwanted and unmanaged new-resident drive of
recent years subsided after the imprisonment of the F.S.F.O. arsonists,
but Mec Vannin continues to receive evidence that this is not the case.

The media interest drew public
attention
to the F.S.F.O. campaign in the early stages. It has become obvious
from
observations by the general public and comments by 'Yn Troor', however,
that the police and government departments were under strict orders to
catch the perpetrators, and to 'keep the lid' on their exploits. This
was
before any arson attacks.Some of you may remember the police
mounting
a fairly extensive series of vehicle spot-checks throughout the Island
at this time. Ostensibly, the reason was finding car-thieves and
discouraging
the use of unroadworthy vehicles. So why were the police searching the
car boots? Why were highway board examiners doing on-the-spot
examinations
of cars at midnight and later?

DIRECT ORDERS

Although there are sporadic
instances of
car theft in the Island, the intensity of these checks and their
widespread
distribution was not commensurate with the scale of the alleged
problem.
When it is also considered that these spot-checks were virtually
abandoned
overnight once the three F.S.F.O. campaigners were arrested, the
conclusion
that the police were operating under direct orders from within
Government
is inescapable.

The involvement of the D.H.P.P.
in these
checks and the unprecedented speed with which the department dealt with
daubings also points to 'direct orders from above' to suppress the
campaign.
Gregory Joughin told Mec Vannin that after the initial couple of
daubings,
the newspapers had to be telephoned promptly so that they could report
the incident before the D.H.P.P. could remove the evidence. If this
department
was able to respond as efficiently to dangerous pot-holes in the road
and
burst sewers, we could claim to receive value for money!

So, was the resistance all down
to a mere
three individuals? Definitely not. The police themselves commented that
once arrested, 'Yn Troor' were very co-operative. Two things they swear
blind to, to this day, is that no-one else was involved with them, and
yet they were not responsible for a great many of the actions
attributed
to them.

CONTINUING REPORTS

People tend to assume that Mec
Vannin,
as the recognised Nationalist Party, has 'inside information' on
activities
that are branded as nationalist, or have a possible nationalist basis.
This leads to us acquiring a good deal of information about what would
otherwise be unreported incidents throughout the Island. Typical of
this
is someone approaching our Secretary, Illiam Costain, and asking,
"You're
a Nationalist. who's responsible for .....?"

This, in conjunction with
reported incidents
and our own observations, has led us to the conclusion that there is
still
a campaign of unrest directed towards new residents, particularly in
the
north and east of the Island. As with the F.S.F.O. campaign, it would
appear
that news of these incidents are being deliberately suppressed.

DAUBING AND VANDALISM

At the bottom end of the scale
come what
would appear to be fairly run-of-the-mill attacks against cars, such as
tyre slashing and paint damage. Quite a lot of this has happened in the
Laxey and Ramsey areas, and a closer look reveals that the victims were
of typically new-resident profile. B.M.W. saloons and four wheel drive
vehicles have been a favourite target. Whereas these attacks are still
probably the result of alcohol inflamed emotions on a non-premeditated
basis, they still reflect an underlying mood of unrest. Moving up the
scale,
there have been several attacks of a much more serious nature directed
quite clearly at new residents, and far too premeditated to be the
result
of alcohol. This includes bricks through windows, paint-spraying, and
damage
to property. Initially, as with the F.S.F.O. campaign, these were
reported
in the press, but a police spokesman at the time denied any upturn in
this
sort of attack. We have received reports that indicate a continued
campaign,
consisting of daubings and attacks against property. Slogans in the
road
in the north-east of the Island have been erased by the D.H.P.P. in
record
time. There have been several arson attempts in Laxey. Inhabited
dwellings
have been attacked in outlying districts.

We don't know who may be
responsible, but
we would ask them to recognise that the only way to progress a solution
is through legitimate means.

To the Government, we would say
that smoothing
over ever widening cracks changes nothing. It must recognise that such
attacks within a predominantly peaceful society are symptomatic of a
very
real dissatisfaction that will only get worse. Does someone actually
have
to get hurt before there is an admission that a11 is not rosy in
Walker's
little garden?

STOP PRESS

Since this article was written,
anti-new-resident
slogans have appeared around Port Erin in Latin!

About
Mec Vannin and Yn Pabyr Seyr

Founded in 1962, Mec Vannin has
developed
over the years to present an alternative to a style of government that
is a sorry paradox i.e. it claims to work towards full independence
whilst
at the same time destroying any legitimate claim to such independence.

Mec Vannin fully recognises the
contribution
of many non-Manx people to our culture and heritage. What it opposes is
the use of this Island for economic convenience and, in some instances,
blatantly criminal activities by people who have no connection with the
Island.

Yn Pabyr Seyr is produced by Mec
Vannin
from its own funds and donations.

"Planning"
for the future....

Gregory Joughin laid a wreath at
the 'Gooseneck'
in Douglas on Saturday 4th April. Supporting him and distributing
leaflets
were other members of Mec Vannin.

Now in case you think that this
was a rather
sentimental gesture aimed at the loss of something that is better off
gone,
let us draw your attention to the D.L.G.E.'s 'Planning for the Future'
and 'Making the Most of Mann' documents. Both spoke of the need to use
our land wisely, the need to preserve 'greenbelts', and most
specifically,
in section 4.3 of 'Planning for the Future', "defending green space
within
towns."

Apart from the highly ornamental
parks
within Douglas, where cycling and ball games are not allowed, there are
no longer any green spaces left in Douglas. These gardens, which cost a
fortune to maintain, were themselves under threat from Douglas
Corporation
a mere four years ago when it was suggested that they could be sold for
office development!

Onchan has suffered the same
fate, and
the commissioners have now found themselves in a position where there
is
nowhere left to carry out their own projects. Look out, Lonan, someone
has their eyes on your boundary.

Another highly disturbing aspect
of the
publicity launch at the 'Gooseneck' was the plethora of D.L.G.E.
officers
and M.H.K.s at the event, rubbing shoulders with estate agents,
developers,
architects et al. whereas we would not suggest any impropriety
ourselves,
given the inconsistency of planning decisions, the department is
leaving
itself wide open to just such an accusation from an aggrieved party at
some future date. There is also an inference of official endorsement in
this. Remember the S.I.B. fiasco. If the Government is to avoid
allegations
of impropriety and stop looking like a bunch of idiots when things go
wrong,
it must remain at distance from private enterprise.

CONSUMERISM:
A MEANS TO OUR END?

In a few years time, all
indications are
that most households on the Island will possess satellite television.
To
obtain this, the ordinary person will spend any real wage increases
they
receive, and will also pay with increased stress and economic
commitment.
But will they have a better quality of life than before?

The fact is, that we have
established a
system of economic growth based on dissatisfaction. For example, what
would
happen to our clothing manufacturers if everyone was content to wear
their
out clothes rather than follow the dictates of fashion? The system
would
fall apart, resulting in a poorer standard of living from a purely
material
sense, but we would be more free to enjoy the real qualities of life,
and
we would be considerably less prone to recession.

The Manx Government is
structuring the
economy more and more to rely upon an industry which is based on
economic
growth - a growth which, in the long term, is unsustainable. The
finance
industry is based upon these very principles; maximise profits, expand
the market, create new markets. Where will it all end ? As the demand
for
material produce increases, our planet's resources diminish.

The finance industry, sitting at
the top
of a pyramid of supply and demand, thrives on the exploitation of Third
world people and resources so that we can "enjoy the standard of living
that our society aspires to". Ourselves and our children are being
brainwashed
into the mentality of permanent dissatisfaction, so that we will
continue
to buy the newest, the biggest, the 'best'.

If we want to reduce starvation
in Third
World countries, the deforestation of the rain-forests, the
urbanisation
of our hills and wild places and our dependence on an economy that is
doomed
to ultimate collapse, we must ask ourselves questions such as, "Do I
really
need a satellite T.V. system, or a new seven-day programmable automatic
bidet or what-ever."We all share the same world, and are
all
responsible for its situation today, no matter where we live.

C. C.

Green
Dwarves

Word has reached us that certain
people
do not consider Mec Vannin to be sufficiently 'green'.

We don't push our environmental
commitment
alone, not wishing to be accused of 'jumping on the band-wagon' and we
recognise the work being done by the environmentalists. That aside, to
accuse Mec Vannin of not being green displays ignorance in the extreme.

Rather than presenting
environmental policies
in isolation, Mec Vannin's policies are intrinsically 'green', centred
around a sustainable insular economy.

One of the biggest causes of
global deforestation
is profit motive and third world debt, fuelled by international
banking.
On an insular scale, the threat comes primarily from population growth.
These are the two areas Mec Vannin fights most strongly, and where
environmentalists
say very little.

This can be understood, since
their aim
would appear to be to popularise environmentalism in a consumer based
society.
They must accept, however, that until there is a major change in both
our
own and the global economic structure, using bottle banks is like
urinating
into the wind.

If you listen to Manx Radio in
the mornings,
you may have heard Mr. John Moss starting Mann-Date with a little bit
of
Gaelic. Until now, the only person to use Gaelic in ordinary
conversation
was Mr. Brian Ray with the weather forecast. It is a shame that it is
not
Manx Radio's policy to encourage people to use Manx. We can only hope
that
Mr. Moss continues.

Erratum

In the last issue of Yn Pabyr
Seyr it was
stated that the cost of living index is not weighted for the percentage
f a household's budget each item comprises. Infact, this is not quite
the
case, but this does not alter the sense of the article.

Since the article was published,
Phil Kermode
M.H.K., in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Consumer Affairs,
has
rejected outright the compilation of a more representative 'shopping
basket'
type indicator. He claims that the Economic Affairs Division's figures
are perfectly satisfactory, yet these are only published once a year,
and
contain statistical correction factors that render interpretation far
beyond
the capabilities of the average person. Maybe Mr. Kermode is hoping
we'll
all think he's very intelligent.

The suggestions for alternative
energy
were dismissed as fanciful, but the argument against diesel is very
real.

It has been claimed that the
enquiry into
the Peel power station was, at the end of the day, nothing more than a
publicity exercise. The continuance of total reliance upon diesel
generation
is an extremely convenient course of action in the short term, but
let's
take a step by step look at the argument, and achieve some sort of
conclusion.

Firstly, how much electricity do
we need?
The answer is, infact, nowhere near as much as we use at the moment.
The
M.E.A.'s own figures show that electricity consumption has risen
disproportionately
to population increase. Because electricity is, despite our perpetual
moaning,
relatively cheap when it is considered just how much work it does for
us,
it is used extremely frivolously both domestically and commercially.
The
standard symbol of economic wealth seems to have become the number of
watts
that can be burnt away in street lighting and security lighting.

But if people can afford the
electricity,
shouldn't they be allowed to use it as they want? Quite simply, no.
World
government's are beginning to wake up to the fact that the world's
energy
resources are extremely finite, a reality that has managed to filter
through
to our own government's rhetoric laden green papers, but no further.
There
is a belief, all too common, that our relatively small population
doesn't
have to pay heed to such notions. We sit with our heads, not simply in
the sand, but clean up our own behinds, in the belief that someone,
somewhere
will come up with the answer and everything will be alright.

So where should our electricity
come from?
There are two immediate options, generation from within the Island, or
a cable link. Looking at the cable link first, this is unacceptable for
many reasons. For such a specialist cable, it would cost as much or
even
more than a new power station.

Now, whose going to supply the
electricity
? Wouldn't B.N.F.L. just love the chance! Infact, because of the UK's
grid
system, we would almost certainly be using some power generated at
Windscale
irrespective of which authority sold us the power. Mec Vannin totally
condemn
this plant, and even the Government has expressed its reservations.

The fact that a substantial
amount of spending
would now go directly out of the Island, would in crease the required
G.N.P.
if we are to maintain our standard of living, and quite a few highly
skilled
people would be on the dole.

Putting direct control of such a
powerful
{no pun intended} bargaining counter into the hands of a single,
foreign
supplier is also folly in the extreme.

So what about generation within
the Island?
The conventional choices are diesel or steam turbine, and these can be
fired by coal, oil, nuclear, gas, wood, or anything else that will
create
heat. Turbines are much quieter, and vibration free, but generally not
as flexible as diesel, not as efficient, and with the exception of gas,
probably dirtier. Modern diesel power sets genuinely can be made to run
very quietly, and the vibrations absorbed. All this considered, it
could
be said that the right choice was made in the short term.

The environmentalists' arguments
for the
so-called 'alternative' energies were torpedoed with talk of hundreds
of
huge windmills, and lights only when the wind blew. That they did
little
to dispel this notion leaves them open to criticism. Infact, this
Island
used to generate thousands of horsepower (one hp = 745.7W} before the
turn
of the century, using supposedly alternative energy. The Laxey Wheel is
quoted as producing 185 hp (138 KW), but this is the work done in
pumping
the water at the quoted rate. The power produced by the wheel itself is
probably closer to 250 hp (186 KW). A modern impulse turbine using the
same water supply would ht into the ticket office!

On top of this, the Lady Isabella
was just
one in a series of water driven plants running from Snaefell to the
sea,
and whose total power output could be reckoned to be around 1MW, 24
hours
a day. The authoritative book on the wheel, by Anders Jesperson, also
reckons
that it could maintain 20% performance through a three month drought,
and
not a reservoir in sight!

This exemplifies how people used
to use
their initiative, an ability that seems to have been lost. We have come
to rely upon diesel generated electricity not because it is the most
practical,
but because it is the easiest in the short term. There are many
examples
where, for a small outlay, the burden of conventionally generated
electricity
could be significantly reduced.

On top of this, our total energy
requirement
should be reduced, because if we don't take the initiative and move
gently
away from our reliance upon diesel generated electricity now, we will
find
it being taken away from us very abruptly in twenty to thirty years
time,
with no guarantee of an alternative.

The only real objection to the
alternative
energies was that when used for direct generation, the supply could not
be guaranteed, but by using them to isolate a convenient form of fuel,
in the form of hydrogen, this obstacle vanishes.